TOKYO: From Tokyo’s famous Shibuya crossing to the remotest Okinawan island, Japan’s streets have one thing in common: ‘tenji blocks,’ yellow textured paving squares to aid people with visual impairments.
The tactile paving was invented in Japan more than 50 years ago to help those with visual impairments move smoothly and safely around urban environments.
And they’ve gone global over the years, becoming a familiar sight in cities from London to Sydney.
The tiles, typically found at railway station platforms, pedestrian crossings, and in front of public buildings, are usually yellow, which is often said to be the easiest colour for the visually impaired to see.
They come in two types: squares…
